Weekend Buff

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Edgar Allen Poe is seldom noted for a successful military career, though he did have one of sorts. He joined the United States Army to stave off destitution in 1827, under an assumed name and age no less (possibly to avoid gambling debts). The gloomy poet surprisingly rose quickly through the non-commission ranks to the preeminent position of Sergeant Major of Artillery.

His goal was always to be a writer; the military was just a way to keep a roof over his head. Nevertheless, he was given an appointment to the USMA at West Point. He never intended on graduating; it was just a way to further his writing career by increasing his prestige. He was able to publish a book of poetry immediately upon intentionally getting thrown out of the Academy. Mission Accomplished.

His tenure at West Point provides the context for the introduction of one of the more unexpected characters in a murder mystery film.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) is set in 1830 at the U.S. Military Academy, the film follows Augustus Landor, a retired detective played by Christian Bale, brought in to investigate the apparent suicide of a cadet. A death by hanging in winter. A heart removed from the body. Quiet soldiers eager to close ranks and protect the institution of West Point. You don’t need modern forensics to know this doesn’t smell right. After all, dead men don’t rip their own hearts out, no matter how much the military brass want to label this a suicide.

Landor is a once respected detective that has fallen into alcohol abuse and depression. He enlists Cadet Edgar Allen Poe, played by Harry Melling, to secretly assist him in the case. Ironically, Poe would come to fall into the same melancholia as Landor in his own reality.

Additional murders of cadets push the case to a crisis. Hearts ripped out and bodies mutilated. The murderer must be within the hallowed halls of the Academy, and a suspect is identified. However, Black Magic, disease, and secrecy cloud the investigation.

The cinematography of the movie is excellent. One feels cold just watching it and you absorb the difficult life of a winter at West Point before modern amenities. Snow, ice, and cold dreary scenes fill the screen. Fireplaces and candles don’t seem to ever cut the biting chill.

In the end Poe proves himself to be the real detective in this dark mystery. He cracks the case in a shocking twist. Unseen motives are realized by the dramatic and perceptive Poe. It is clear that the outlook on life that was so apparent in his writing served him well in this fictious world of murder investigations.

Scott Cooper (Black Mass, Hostiles) directs the film. I always think Christian Bale gives a good performance and is excellent here. The less known Harry Melling steals the show as Poe. Poe’s dark presence can be felt through the film. It is a screenplay one could imagine him writing himself. There is a solid supporting cast with Gillian Anderson, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones, and Robert Duvall in his last appearance (so far).

The Pale Blue Eye runs a little more than two hours. It can be slow at times, but pay attention, you don’t want to miss any clues. The movie is available on Netflix for free or for rent on Apple TV. Enjoy a look at life and death in 1830’s West Point.

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